Whereas under Islamic governments 40 million people were...

Whereas under Islamic governments 40 million people were living off its resources, its population today barely reaches 8 million1. 2-The Structural Simplicity of Islamic Government: A fine example of this simplicity can be seen at the time Iraq came under Islamic rule when only three people went there from Medina to govern the country.

The secret of this simplicity is that the apparatus of government is there in the first instance to ensure that there is justice among the people, secondly to protect the country from its enemies and thirdly to bring about greater prosperity throughout the land. Moreover, Islamic government is : Popular government to the highest degree. 1 This is, of course, an out of date statistic (the book was compiled in the mid-1960s) and the present population of Iraq is estimated to be around 22 million.

Does not recognize the restrictions which only lead to a plethora of departments. Opposes bureaucracy and strives to solve problems speedily. Creates a climate of trust among the people by demonstrating what having faith and a conscience should entail. In this manner, Islamic government does not need numerous departments and so its employees are few in number which means that the wealth at its disposal is considerable.

This in turn brings about a growth in the economy for two reasons: The government employee generally does not generate his own income but instead is dependent in the long run on the labour of others. Therefore if the number of employees is reduced the money that otherwise would have to be spent on paying salaries can be saved, and the government will consequently have more money at its disposal and can direct its attention to other vital projects.

Those who are not employed by the state work for themselves and generate wealth, whereas if they were employed by the state they become, in effect, consumers. For example: If there are 10 people in a house and each one earns 1 dinar and then the government employs 5 of them, the money being generated will be 5 dinars to be shared among 10 people, whereas if there were only 1 employed among them, the income generated would be 9 dinars to be shared among 10 people.

3- The Treasury: Khums, zakat, jizya and kharaj were collected for the treasury, the first three categories having already been explained. Kharaj is the yield from those lands which are in the possession of the state or which have been acquired by the Muslims by virtue of war and so forth.